Faculty members with current, active approvals do not
need to submit a proposal form. As long as they are listed as the
section's instructor of record in MyUH before continuing student
registration begins, their approved Focus designation(s) will be
added to their section(s).

Faculty members who do not have active Focus approval for their
course (or whose approval has expired) should submit a
"Focus form" to request a Focus designation for
their section(s).

Department Chairs may submit a "STAFF" form if
the faculty member is unknown, or a
"COURSE-based" form if the department wishes to designate all
sections of a course every semester.

Hallmarks of Writing Intensive Classes

The faculty on the Writing Focus Board use these Hallmarks when
evaluating proposals for the Writing-intensive designation.

W1. The class uses writing to
promote the learning of course materials.

W2. The class provides interaction between
the instructor and students while students do assigned writing.

W3. Written assignments contribute
significantly to each student’s course grade.

W4. The class requires students to do a
substantial amount of writing—a minimum of 4,000 words, or about
16 pages.

W5. To allow for meaningful professor-student
interaction on each student’s writing, the class is restricted to
20 students.

Explanatory notes

Instructors assign formal and
informal writing, both in class and out, to increase students'
understanding of course material as well as to improve writing skills.

Types of interaction will
vary. For example, a professor who requires the completion of one long
essay may review sections of the essay, write comments on drafts, and
be available for conferences. The professor who requires several short
papers may demonstrate techniques for drafting and revising in the
classroom, give guidance during the composition of the papers, and
consult with students after they complete their papers.

Only students who satisfactorily complete the writing assignments
should be allowed to pass the course with a "D" or better. Thus, the
Board recommends that writing assignments count for at least 40% of the
course grade. Alternatively, the Board recommends that if writing
assignments count less than 40%, the course instructor state explicitly
on the syllabus that "students must adequately complete all writing
assignments to pass the course with a 'D' or better. Students who do not
complete all writing assignments will get a D- or an F and will not earn
W Focus credit."

The types of writing assigned
will vary and may include formal and "informal" (writing
that is not revised) writing. Depending on the course content,
students may write analytic essays, critical reviews, journals, lab
reports, research reports, reaction papers, etc.

Requirements for Students

Students are required to complete 5 courses designated as writing
intensive ("W").

Students may take "W" or "WI" courses at any UH campus and transfer
the writing-intensive credit to UHM. Transfer students entering from
outside the UH system may have a reduced set of requirements, based on
the number of accepted transfer credits.